Time Healer Ceres

How lonely he must have been. How much he must have suffered. She finally understood why he’d remained in the Grand Duchy for all those years.

He must have hated it.

Left alone in the places the three of them had once shared, he had watched everything around him change while he alone remained the same...

Maybe that was why he never returned to the Empire, where every corner was filled with memories of Grace and Artia. The thought made her heart ache all the more.

“.....”

Kainel drew a deep breath and buried his face against Ceres’s shoulder.

“...Were you really going to keep avoiding me until the end?”

His lips brushed the nape of her neck as he spoke.

“If I hadn’t found you...”

“No. I could never have kept avoiding you.”

Even if Kainel hadn’t found her first, she would’ve gone to him eventually.

Even if he had pushed her away, doubted her, or refused to believe her... they still would have ended up standing face to face like this.

“...Then that’s enough.”

Yeah... that’s enough.

Holding Ceres close, Kainel let out a breath that was almost a sigh.

***

“Big Sis.”

“Ceres, are you done ea—”

“Shh.”

“.....?”

Antonian and Julia, who was coming to collect the soup bowl, quickly fell silent. They noticed someone else asleep in the bed where Ceres had been lying just moments ago.

“Is Mister asleep?”

“Mm.”

Kainel was sleeping. Julia and Antonian stared at him in amazement. Ever since he’d brought Ceres here, neither of them had ever seen him asleep.

“He’d be more comfortable in the guest room.”

At Antonian’s remark, Ceres shook her head.

“Just let him sleep.”

She gently ran her fingers through his tousled white hair, the silky strands slipping between them.

He’s such a sensitive man...

Yet even at her touch, he didn’t stir. It was as though he intended to make up for all the sleep he had gone without until now.

“Sleep well.”

Ceres smoothed his hair once more.

.

.

.

Chapter 37: The Three Heads

“You’ve been absent for more than ten days again.”

“I know.”

When Ceres returned to the Academy after fifteen days, she was, unsurprisingly, called into the faculty office by her homeroom teacher, Daniel.

At this point, she’d been summoned there often enough that the place was starting to feel familiar.

“You don’t have many sick days left.”

“I’ll be leaving early again today.”

She only stopped by because she thought she’d been absent for long enough. After lying unconscious for more than ten days, she’d discovered that her condition was worse than she’d expected.

I could probably sit through class if I forced myself.

But why bother?

“At this rate, you’ll have to repeat the year...”

Daniel let out a weary sigh, his words trailing off.

Her attendance was already well below the minimum. Even sick leave had its limits.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I just dropped out?”

Ceres’s eyes lit up. This didn’t seem like a bad opportunity to quit the Academy altogether. If she withdrew first and simply told Antonian she’d been expelled for missing too many classes, he wouldn’t make a fuss.

“Drop out?”

Daniel stared at her in surprise before pushing his glasses back up his nose.

“Then I’ll discuss it with your younger brother first.”

“...Hold on. Discuss what, and with whom?”

Why was he talking to her younger brother about her decision? It wasn’t like Antonian was her older sibling.

Ceres looked at him in disbelief, but Daniel only tilted his head as though she were the one asking the strange question.

“Antonian asked me to. He said that if anything came up at the Academy involving you, I should talk to him first.”

“...What?”

“He started to say you weren’t in your right mind, then quickly corrected himself. He said you haven’t fully recovered yet and might not be able to make sound decisions.”

“......”

So my little brother has been telling everyone I’m out of my mind.

As soon as she was fully recovered, she was dragging him straight to the training grounds for a long-overdue lesson.

“Then shall I speak with your brother?”

“No.”

He’d only make another scene and declare he was quitting the Academy too, just like last time. Once was more than enough.

Ceres dropped the subject, signed out early, and left the faculty office. Daniel saw her off with another reminder to get plenty of rest.

There has to be something I can do about this frail body.

Her legs felt unusually heavy. She’d only gone without food for a few days when collapsed, yet even walking now took effort.

The body had always been weak to begin with. Every time she wielded a sword, she could feel herself pushing it past its limits.

Although she’d learned to work around those limitations well enough, there was only so much the body could endure. After dealing with the S-Class Black Forest, that burden had finally caught up with her.

“I wonder if he’s still asleep.”

Leaving the faculty office behind, Ceres glanced at the clock in the hallway.

I’d better hurry.

She needed to get home before Kainel woke up.

That day, after burying his face in her shoulder, Kainel had drifted off to sleep. Even after an entire day had passed, he hadn’t shown any sign of waking.

Now, several days later, he still spent most of his time sleeping.

“Ceres, did Mister collapse this time?”

“...Is he actually alive?”

Seeing Kainel occupying Ceres’s bed, it was only natural for Antonian and Julia to worry.

He really does sleep a lot.

Like someone finally making up for years of lost sleep.

Once Ceres had confirmed that Kainel wasn’t waking anytime soon, she decided to visit the temple. She wanted to make sure her disciple was safe.

Not that I’m particularly worried.

She knew his swordsmanship better than anyone. Even against an S-Class Black Forest, he wasn’t the sort to be defeated so easily.

Besides, he’s practically immortal.

Ceres shook her head, still couldn’t get used to that fact.

Truthfully, checking on him was the main reason she’d left the house. Attending to the Academy was only a side errand.

Everyone had tried to stop her, insisting she should rest a little longer. But since she’d be out, she thought she might as well show her face to count for a day’s attendance.

I’d rather drop out than repeat a year.

She’d be going to the Academy properly again from tomorrow onward.

The real problem is Kainel.

Whenever she was a little sick, he wouldn’t let her leave the house. No, he wouldn’t even let her get out of bed. He’d always been like that.

If he woke up and found her gone, he’d search every corner of the house for her.

Still, she needed to make sure her disciple was all right.

What should I do? Put it off until tomorrow? I spent more time at the Academy than I expected.

“Hm?”

Just as Ceres stepped outside and reached for her teleportation scroll, she saw a middle-aged man crouching beside the building. She stopped.

Under normal circumstances, she would’ve walked right past him. But the way he’d been staring at her from the moment she came through the entrance made it impossible to just ignore him.

“Oh! There’s our Ceres.”

The man greeted her with a bright smile and an enthusiastic wave.

Ceres blinked.

Do I know him?

How was she supposed to react? There’s no one here to tell her who he was.

“I’ve been seeing your pictures all these years, but it’s been four years since I last saw you in person.”

Duke Nora, ruler of the southern region, rose to his feet and walked over to Ceres. His eyes curved into a warm smile.

That was the last time.

He wasn’t able to properly attend the funeral of Ceres’s parents, his two dear friends.

All three heads of ducal houses were the same. They simply had no choice because too many eyes were watching them. The last thing they wanted was for those watching eyes to turn toward the children.

It was also their way of honoring the wishes of their two friends, who had always wanted a quiet life and for their children to grow up in peace.

In the end, they could only bid their friends farewell from the shadows before quietly leaving. The last time he’d seen the children was from a distance, who were mourning their parents’ deaths.

“Good afternoon.”

“Who are you?”

“Me? I was friends with your parents. You met me when you were this little. Though I guess you don’t remember me. What a shame.”

The man even dabbed at the corner of his eye like he was genuinely heartbroken. Ceres wondered again how she was supposed to respond.

“Were you looking for me?”

She decided it would be easier to ask. It wasn’t strange that her parents had friends, but she couldn’t imagine why one of them would suddenly seek her out.

Her parents had passed away years ago, so why now?

“Mm. I came to see you.”

“What for?”

“Because I wanted to.”

“....”

The answer came so unexpectedly that Ceres was speechless. Though the words were simple, the sincerity behind them was unmistakable.

Seriously... why now, all of a sudden?

“Huh? Don’t look so bewildered. You’ll hurt this old man’s feelings. Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to see you? Couldn’t you at least look a little happy to see me?”

...What’s with this old man?

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